RxBars

[angiej936]

Sorry, I know RxBars have been discussed a lot but I want to confirm that these are okay. They all have "natural ____ flavor" including one that has natural chocolate flavor. What does that even mean?  RxBars seem to be heavily promoted as Whole30 compliant but I just want to double check. I also don't know what the difference between cocoa and cacao is.  The flavors are Mint Chocolate, Coconut Chocolate, Coffee Chocolate, and Chocolate Sea Salt. I really hope these are still compliant because I really like them and they'd be great to go with my workout (and I just bought a pack of 12 from Amazon and they're expensive!). Thanks so much for the help!!

[ArtFossil]

I don't know that they are heavily promoted as these and Larabars are for emergency use. Which doesn't include anything you can anticipate or plan for like workouts. And Whole30 recommends 3 template meals and no snacks. There are a lot of threads on pre- and post- workout snacks. A recent one is here.

I'd stay far away from them because they are sugar bombs (more sugar than protein), are a processed product, not a food, and can feed sugar cravings. Eating real foods on your Whole30 will bring you the best results. (End of rant. )

[jmcbn]

Anything that mixes fruit, nuts & cacao/cocoa/100% chocolate is out for your Whole30. Some of the other flavours are technically compliant - but for emergency use only. If you can plan for an emergency then you can plan to have real food.

Pre & postWO wise these aren't ideal as you want protein & fat, no sugar/carbs preWO, and a lean protein with option starchy carbs (not fruit) post WO. Fruit before will provide your body with an immediate source of fuel to burn. Fruit after will replenish liver glycogen (which the body uses AFTER all other stores of sugar are burned) rather than  muscle glcogen, plus the fat in the nuts will slow down the absorption of nutrients thereby preventing protein muscle synthesis.

Great for your food freedom though if that's the way you roll................

[MeadowLily]

Technically, Grab N Go Whole 30's are legit.  Nuts are fats and fruits are portable. Some crumble bars over their salads. Compliant.

But if you're UP for a rodeo, use bars every other day or so and mix it all UP. That way, the body and mind won't become dependent upon them.

[angiej936]

Thanks all.  I don't really have an issue with sugar cravings so these aren't really a gateway or a cheat.  These are more for those times when I've crammed so much into my day and I need to eat something but I don't have enough time to make a meal and actually sit down and eat it.  Of course, I've made meal planning my priority but every once in a while there are just not enough hours in the day.

[ArtFossil]

3 hours ago, angiej936 said:

Thanks all.  I don't really have an issue with sugar cravings so these aren't really a gateway or a cheat.  These are more for those times when I've crammed so much into my day and I need to eat something but I don't have enough time to make a meal and actually sit down and eat it.  Of course, I've made meal planning my priority but every once in a while there are just not enough hours in the day.

Save them fo after Whole30.

It isn't so much whether you have sugar cravings or not. Those bars are poor nutritional choices and can play havoc with your blood sugar and make it harder to reset your relationship with food.  Just make it a habit to make sure you are carrying food with you or have stocked your bag, car or office. Things like canned tuna, packets of olives, canned vegetables, compliant dressing can be a lifesaver. Eating three meals a day--preferably sitting down!--is an important part of your Whole30 reset and worth focusing on for your 30 days.

As one of the mods said, we all have "richly scheduled lives" (LOL) but for 30 days we can nourish ourselves with real food  I never went anywhere on my Whole30 without my plastic containers of leftovers.

 

[angiej936]

@ArtFossil - thanks for the advice.  Unfortunately, I don't liked tuna (I'm planning to make the spicy tuna cakes from nom nom but I would never want to eat it out of the can - I'm probably not even going to like the tuna cakes but I'll eat them to diversify a bit), olives or canned vegetables (at least not the ones that are approved).  I did get quite a bit of compliant dressing and I brought one of those to work and can buy more fresh veggies to have chopped up and ready to eat when I get in (or have it with carrots that are provided).  But should I really prepare "snacks" when I'm not really supposed to be having them?  It seems like I would either end up wasting snacks I prepared (because I didn't need them) or preparing them at the last minute, which defeats the purpose.

So this morning I spent time preparing nom nom easy tandoori chicken so I could have it ready to cook this evening.  This meant I didn't have time to make myself something to eat so I ended up having something when I got to work - two hardboiled eggs, carrots, almonds and Tessamae's ranch dressing.  I didn't eat this until about 10:30.  This seems more like a snack to me than breakfast, but I consider it breakfast for the sake of the "3 meals per day."  For lunch (which I've been eating for the past 2 hours at my desk), I'm having the fancypants steak and balsamic vegetables from the cookbook (leftovers from dinner last night).  And then tonight, I'll have the chicken and some veggies (and probably have that as leftovers tomorrow for lunch as well).

I think my schedule is just way off, but it's hard to adjust.  I've never been an early morning eater and I'm not usually hungry early. 

The reason behind the RxBar is so I can eat it in the car if absolutely necessary (either because I won't make it until home without making a bad choice or to avoid making bad choices at home once I get there because I'm super hungry).  I know I'm not supposed to get to that point, but it seems inevitable, especially since I can't seem to get the ratios right.  But no, the idea is not to sit at my desk when I have other options but choose the RxBar because it's easier.

I appreciate all the advice.  I understand this really isn't all that difficult but I'm having a hard time finding that balance (which has always been my problem).  That's why I wish I could just eat a tablespoon or two of coconut cream and be done with it.  Instant fat intake and it didn't require me to spend 30 minutes making something.  (And I say fat because I'm pretty sure I'm not getting enough of it in my meals.)

 

[SugarcubeOD]

3 minutes ago, angiej936 said:

I think my schedule is just way off, but it's hard to adjust.  I've never been an early morning eater and I'm not usually hungry early.

Ya, it's your hormones that are off... when people don't want to eat in the am (feel sick, no appetite, smell of food makes them nauseous, only want cereal or sweets) it's because your cortisol and leptin are out of whack.  The ONLY way to fix it is to plate up a template meal within an hour of waking, eat from it as much as you can, wrap it up, take it with you and eat from it as.soon.as you're able (dont' wait for the next meal time, eat from it as soon as you think you can keep it down).  Do this consistently and within a couple days you'll become a person that wakes up hungry and eats breakfast!

[angiej936]

@SugarcubeOD - this sounds like a great idea!  Thanks for the tip.  I'll try it tomorrow!

[ArtFossil]

44 minutes ago, angiej936 said:

@ArtFossil - thanks for the advice.  Unfortunately, I don't liked tuna (I'm planning to make the spicy tuna cakes from nom nom but I would never want to eat it out of the can - I'm probably not even going to like the tuna cakes but I'll eat them to diversify a bit), olives or canned vegetables (at least not the ones that are approved).  I did get quite a bit of compliant dressing and I brought one of those to work and can buy more fresh veggies to have chopped up and ready to eat when I get in (or have it with carrots that are provided).  But should I really prepare "snacks" when I'm not really supposed to be having them?  It seems like I would either end up wasting snacks I prepared (because I didn't need them) or preparing them at the last minute, which defeats the purpose.

So this morning I spent time preparing nom nom easy tandoori chicken so I could have it ready to cook this evening.  This meant I didn't have time to make myself something to eat so I ended up having something when I got to work - two hardboiled eggs, carrots, almonds and Tessamae's ranch dressing.  I didn't eat this until about 10:30.  This seems more like a snack to me than breakfast, but I consider it breakfast for the sake of the "3 meals per day."  For lunch (which I've been eating for the past 2 hours at my desk), I'm having the fancypants steak and balsamic vegetables from the cookbook (leftovers from dinner last night).  And then tonight, I'll have the chicken and some veggies (and probably have that as leftovers tomorrow for lunch as well).

I think my schedule is just way off, but it's hard to adjust.  I've never been an early morning eater and I'm not usually hungry early. 

The reason behind the RxBar is so I can eat it in the car if absolutely necessary (either because I won't make it until home without making a bad choice or to avoid making bad choices at home once I get there because I'm super hungry).  I know I'm not supposed to get to that point, but it seems inevitable, especially since I can't seem to get the ratios right.  But no, the idea is not to sit at my desk when I have other options but choose the RxBar because it's easier.

I appreciate all the advice.  I understand this really isn't all that difficult but I'm having a hard time finding that balance (which has always been my problem).  That's why I wish I could just eat a tablespoon or two of coconut cream and be done with it.  Instant fat intake and it didn't require me to spend 30 minutes making something.  (And I say fat because I'm pretty sure I'm not getting enough of it in my meals.)

 

I do understand the challenges.   But yes, I was talking about meals and mini-meals, not snacks. (Mini meals are still composed to the template: protein, veggies, fats.)  I never wasted a morsel of food on Whole30 because if I didn't eat it today, I ate it the next day. And there are TONS of threads about foods-on-the-go.

Once you get your Meal 1 inplace, everything else will be easier. 

[angiej936]

@SugarcubeOD so yesterday, I got up and within 45 minutes made myself some eggs with ground chicken sausage and salsa, and I think eating early really worked (even though I was really not into it).  Then today, I got up late and it totally threw everything off.  It's now 11:35a and I still haven't eating anything!  Ugh.  I'll do better tomorrow.

[SugarcubeOD]

6 minutes ago, angiej936 said:

@SugarcubeOD so yesterday, I got up and within 45 minutes made myself some eggs with ground chicken sausage and salsa, and I think eating early really worked (even though I was really not into it).  Then today, I got up late and it totally threw everything off.  It's now 11:35a and I still haven't eating anything!  Ugh.  I'll do better tomorrow.

Good for you!  Well done!  Eat up now and tomorrow is another day to try eating within an hour of waking!  Good job!

[boots87]

from website, posted 4 June, 2015 (https://whole30.com/2015/06/future/)

THE FUTURE OF WHOLE30 APPROVED

 

We have made the difficult decision to remove RxBars, Beaver Bites, and Yawp bars as official Whole30 Approved partners. But hear us clearly: this isn’t about the ingredients, the bars themselves, or the companies behind them. It’s about the way we have observed people (mis)using the bars during their Whole30 programs, and our desire to provide the best guidance possible for your program through our partnerships.

RxBars, Beaver Bites, and Yawp bars are still made with the highest quality real-food ingredients. They are still a healthy choice when used appropriately. Most important, they are still acceptable “emergency food” on the Whole30 program*. This change only affects our promotion of these companies as a Whole30 Approved partner or affiliate.

*All but the Peanut Butter RxBar, because peanuts.

[SugarcubeOD]

2 hours ago, boots87 said:

from website, posted 4 June, 2015 (https://whole30.com/2015/06/future/)

THE FUTURE OF WHOLE30 APPROVED

 

We have made the difficult decision to remove RxBars, Beaver Bites, and Yawp bars as official Whole30 Approved partners. But hear us clearly: this isn’t about the ingredients, the bars themselves, or the companies behind them. It’s about the way we have observed people (mis)using the bars during their Whole30 programs, and our desire to provide the best guidance possible for your program through our partnerships.

RxBars, Beaver Bites, and Yawp bars are still made with the highest quality real-food ingredients. They are still a healthy choice when used appropriately. Most important, they are still acceptable “emergency food” on the Whole30 program*. This change only affects our promotion of these companies as a Whole30 Approved partner or affiliate.

*All but the Peanut Butter RxBar, because peanuts.

Are you looking for clarification on this or??  

[Aflow]

Hi, I know that RxBars are for emergency-use only. If in an emergency, what flavors are compliant (I see mixed information on different sites). The RxBar website says that Sea Salt Chocolate is whole30 compliant, but I thought it was only mixed berry, blue berry and coconut. Can you confirm if Sea Salt Chocolate is compliant (if used in an emergency)? 

https://www.rxbar.com/all-flavors/chocolate-sea-salt-box-of-12.html